Game boards



Dec. 18, 1962 B. CAHN 3,069,167

GAME BOARDS Filed June 12, 1961 23 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. BERNARD CAHN ATTORNEY United States Patent ce 3,069,167 GAMEBOARDS Bernard Cahu, New York, N.Y., assignor to Shampaine Industries,Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed June 12, 1961,Ser. No. 116,471 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-426) This invention relates ingeneral to certain new and useful improvements in game boards and, moreparticularly, to a game board having facilities for playing a largenumber of different games, including various games in which movableplaying pieces can be caused to slide directly into pockets or to impactagainst one of the peripheral margins of the board in an angulardirection and then strike another playing piece or slide into a pocket.

There are many games in which playing pieces of various types and shapesmay be caused to slide rapidly over the surface of a board. Dependingupon the rules of the game, the playing pieces may have to strike someother playing piece directly, or may have to strike against a marginalrim around the game board and bounce off in what is commonly referred toas a bank shot. Frequently, the rules of the game require that a seriesof playing pieces must be caused to slide or roll into one or morepockets. Usually the pockets are located at the corners of the gameboard and it is the object of the game to propel various playing piecesinto these pockets in some prescribed order or sequence.

The conventional type of game board which has heretofore been assembledfor use in playing such games ordinarily consists of a flat rectangularplywood member which is framed around its marginal edges with arelatively large wooden frame. These wooden frames are comparativelyfragile and tend to break, split, or crack when accidentally thrownabout. The wooden frame is ordinarily weakest at its corners and thisweakness is accentuated by the presence of pockets, since some area ofthe plywood member must be cut away thereby reducing the support andreinforcement which would otherwise be provided. In addition, thecorner-forming elements are costly to make and assemble with the otherframe-forming elements inasmuch as doweling, gluing and clamping arenormally required.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention toprovide a rectilinear corner-pocketed game board having a frame in whichthe corner-forming elements are fabricated from a synthetic resin orsocalled plastic material, which is extremely attractive in appearance,comparatively light in weight, and yet structurally strong.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a game board ofthe type stated having a frame which has an extremely strongcorner-construction and will not be adversely affected by moisture orweather conditions.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a gameboard of the type stated having a frame which may be very quickly andconveniently assembled with the game board, thereby reducingmanufacturing costs while achieving improved quality and strength in thefinished structure.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in thenovel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination ofparts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a game boardconstructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the game board;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1; 1

3,069,167 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 acters to the drawing, whichillustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Adesignates a game board comprising a rectangular panel 1 which isprovided at its four corners with equally sized quarter-circle recesses2 connected by four straight margins 3 prefer- 5 rails 5 of identicallength and shape.

ably of equal length. The side faces or edges of the quarter-circlerecesses 2 are kerfed to provide a relatively narrow shallow slot 4.

Provided for frame-forming disposition around the peripheral margin ofthe game board A are four straight Each of the rails 5 is routed outcentrally of one of its vertical faces 6 in the provision of arectilinear longitudinal channel 7 which fit snugly over one of the fourstraight margins 3 of the panel 1 between two corner recesses 2. At theopposite ends, each rail is cut away along its four faces to form alongitudinally projecting rectilinear tenon 8, the inside face 9 ofwhich is spaced inwardly from the bottom face 10 of the channel 7.

Molded by a suitable process from a high-impact strength syntheticresin, such as polystyrene, are four identical corner-members 11 whichhave a quarter-circle shape. Each corner-member 11 integrally includestwo block-shaped rectilinear terminal elements 12 connected by avertical arcuate wall 13, the interior face 14 of which is substantiallyflush with inner faces 15 of the terminal elements 12. On its outerface, the wall 13 is provided with horizontally extending top and bottomflanges 16, 17, and a central rib 18. As will be seen in FIG. 3, theouter arcuate face 19 of the rib 18 is located inwardly a slightdistance from the plane of the outer faces 20, 21, of the flanges 16,17, respectively, so as to be protected thereby in case of accidentalimpact. On its interior face 14, each of the corner-members 11 isprovided with an outwardly opening groove 22, which is somewhat smallerin cross-sectional size than the channels 7 but is adapted for endwisealignment therewith and also for more or less co-planar alignment withthe slots 4 in the edges of the recesses 2. Each of the terminalelements 12 is provided with a rectilinear socket or mortise 23 intowhich the tenons S will fit snugly and precisely, so that the outer andinner vertical faces of the rails 5 and the terminal elements 12 aresubstantially flush, all as best seen in FIG. 4.

The game board A is assembled by fitting the channels 7 of the rails 5upon the edges of the panel 1 and fitting the tenons 8 of the rails 5into the mortises 23 of the corner-member 11, the latter jointsnecessarily being held together by a suitable adhesive as is customarypractice in mortised joints. In actual practice, this assembly operationcan be most readily carried out by inserting the tenons 8 of the fourrails 5 part Way into the mortises 23 of the four corner-members 11 toform a peripheral frame f, the interior size of which is initiallysomewhat larger than the peripheral size of the panel 1. Thereupon, thepanel 1 can he slipped into the frame 7'' and the latter squeezedtogether or closed-in, so to speak, so that the four margins 3 of thepanel 1 are snugly seated in the channels 7. The entire assembly ispreferably held in clamps until the adhesive in the mortises 23 has set.If desired, an adhesive may also be used in the channels 7.

Formed for snap-fitting engagement within the combined recess-encirclingslots 4 and grooves 22 are loops 24 made of relatively heavyspring-steel wire which are Q bent around into an almost complete ringwith their opposite ends in slightly spaced opposing relation and bentoutwardly in the formation of sharpened prongs 25, 26. The prongs 25,26, can be pulled together so that they are in substantially touchingrelation and the annular size of the loop 24 is reduced slightly so thatit can be snapped into place within the slot 4 and the endwiseregistering groove Before the loops 24 are snapped into place, fish-netpockets 27 are threaded upon the loops 24, so that, when the latter aresnapped into place, the pocket 27 will extend across the recess 2 andcatch playing pieces which may be propelled toward tne pocket 27.Finally, the entire interior peripheral face is preferably provided withan adhesively secured cushion-strip 28 formed of felt or other similarmaterial.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of thegame boards may be made and substituted for those herein shown anddescribed without departing from the nature and principle of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

l. A game device comprising a fiat rectilinear board having peripheralmargins and having a plurality of inwardly cut-out pocket-formingrecesses around said peripheral margins, and a rebound frame extendingoutwardly around the entire margin of said board, said rebound framehaving four arcuate corner-members formed of a synthetic resin andincluding integral central portions bridging said recesses, said centralportions being integrally provided along their external faces withreinforcing ribs, said reinforcing ribs being located inwardly a slightdistance from the plane of the external faces of the central portions.

2. A game device comprising a flat rectilinear board having fourstraight peripheral margins and having four inwardly extendingpocket-forming recesses cut out of and spanning the four corner-areasrespectively, each of said recesses having two outer terminal endslocated at adjacent peripheral margins and in spaced relat on across thecorner-area with which such recess is associated, each of said recessesbeing adjacent to two other recesses and diagonally opposite to a thirdrecess, and a rebound frame extending outwardly around the entire marginof said board, said rebound frame having four straight wooden rails,each of said rails respectively extending along and being secured uponthe straight peripheral margins, each of said rails having end portionswhich are substantially coincident with proximate terminal ends of twoadjacent recesses, each of said rails having straight rectilinear tenonsprojecting in line with the rail and beyond the end portions thereof soas to project also beyond the terminal ends of said recesses into thecornerareas spanned by such recesses, said rebound frame also havingfour arcuate corner-members formed of a synthetic resin, saidcorner-members respectively bridging said recesses and each integrallyincluding quarter-circle central portions which are integrally providedalong their external faces with axially spaced indented grooves whichdefine a plurality of spaced parallel arcuate reinforcing ribs, saidcentral portions integrally merging into blockshaped straight terminalelements which project toward the tenons and are provided withrectilinear sockets sized and located to snugly accommodate said tenons,said tenons being adhesively secured within the sockets of said terminalelements so that said wooden rails and arcuate corner-members will forman endless rebound frame.

3. A game device according to claim 2 in which the block-shaped terminalelements of the corner-members and the tenon-accommodating socketstherein are wholly beyond the ends of the reinforcing ribs.

4. A game device according to claim 2 in which the tenon-joints formedby the tenons and sockets are located entirely in the cornernreasspanned by the recesses and are beyond the terminal ends thereof so asto be clear of the peripheral margins of the board.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS666,749 Fuller et a1. Jan. 29, 1901 723,378 Fuller Mar. 24, 19032,214,187 Swedman Sept. 10, 1940 2,379,179 Petersen June 26, 19452,779,983 Sundelin et al Feb. 5, 1957 Disclaimer and Dedication3,069,167.Bema1"d Cah'n, New York, N.Y. GAME BOARDS. Patent dated Dec.18, 1962. Disclaimer and dedication filed June 5, 1968, by the assignee,Afiiliated Hospital Pwoducts, Inc. Hereby disclaims and dedicates t0 thePublic the entire term of said patent.

[Ofiiez'al Gazette November 19, 1968.]

